If you missed the message today or the outline, here it is. I think it gave us all plenty to ponder.
UNITED: Jesus’ Prayer for Us
John 17:20-23 “20My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
BIG IDEA: Personal spiritual lifeonly has meaning when it is joined to the collective spiritual unity of the church.
The Problem of Unity
Our culture and history (collective and personal) create unique challenges to unity.
The Keys to Unity
Humility, gentleness, patience, and enduring each other are the keys to unity.
Ephesians 4:1-6 “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
The Power of Unity
The power potentialof the church can only be realized by people who will commit themselvesto unity.
BOTTOM LINE: What step will you take toward unity with your church this week?